Lived experiences of adult students with blindness using Braille skills in Ethiopian blind boarding schools

Braille is an essential medium of instruction for students with blindness attending their education at blind boarding schools. The objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of adult students with blindness in using Braille skills at Ethiopian boarding schools for the blind.

The study selected seven students with blindness using judgment sampling and focused on their lived experiences using in-depth interviews based on information saturation. This study used a qualitative, descriptive phenomenological design and reflexive thematic analysis.

The study revealed four main themes: Braille literacy [BL] (i.e., KG or grade one to grade four and KG or grade one to grade seven), Braille mathematics (i.e., limited basic Braille math with BL and abacus math), Braille myth (i.e., needless Braille math and slate-stylus alone), and social influences (i.e., dependency and pessimism). The first two themes resulted from deductive analysis, while the last two were derived inductively, prioritizing information richness. Students with blindness began learning Braille in English, Afan Oromo, or Amharic languages starting from kindergarten or grade one to grade four or grade seven in blind boarding schools. Blind students took exams through oral readers without the Braille system because teachers didn't prepare exams in Braille versions.

Students with blindness preferred blind boarding schools for specialized resources, Braille, and prepared teachers. Teachers at blind boarding schools need to be proficient in Braille to prepare students for inclusive education. Braille instruction is crucial for literacy and math skills at all grade levels.